Former Gov. Charlie Crist, running as a Democrat, tops Florida Gov. Rick Scott 50 - 34 percent
among registered voters if the 2014 election were today, according to a Quinnipiac University
poll released today. Gov. Scott leads State Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam 47 - 24
percent in a GOP primary.

Alex Sink, the Democrat who lost to Scott in 2010, leads him 45 - 34 percent today.

Florida voters say 50 - 40 percent that Crist's switch from Republican to independent and
now to Democrat is a positive thing that shows he is a pragmatist, rather than a negative thing
that shows he lacks core beliefs.

Scott's potential vulnerability is evidenced by the fact that only 32 percent of voters say
he deserves a second term in office, including just 28 percent of independent voters. His job
approval rating is a negative 36 - 49 percent, compared to his negative 36 - 45 percent
disapproval in a December 19 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack)
University.

"There isn't much good news in these numbers for Gov. Rick Scott, but there is some,"
said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "His large
lead over Agriculture Secretary Adam Putnam in a hypothetical Republican primary gives him
some solace that he does not have to worry about an intraparty challenge. Scott's support among
Republicans appears pretty solid, although he has a lot of fences to mend with independent
voters and he has virtually no crossover appeal to Democrats.

"The fact that voters think it's an asset that former Gov. Charlie Crist moved from
conservative Republican to a Democrat with very different political views will be a key metric to
watch between now and the 2014 voting."

"These numbers indicate Republicans will have a tough job turning around Crist's lead
over Scott by reminding voters of Crist's evolution," said Brown.

"If Scott is to have any chance for a second term he needs to win a greater share of
Republicans than he loses among Democrats and move into parity among independents," said
Brown. "There is little gender gap: 49 percent of men and 51 percent of women back Crist."

When it comes to popular appeal, voters view Scott unfavorably 46 - 33 percent, while
Crist gets a 49 - 30 percent positive favorability. Sink gets a 29 - 12 percent favorability while
58 percent don't know enough about her to form an opinion, with 80 percent who don't know
enough about Putnam.

Scott's proposal that every public school teacher in Florida receive a $2,500 pay raise
gets 74 - 21 percent support. And, by 50 - 40 percent, voters back his decision to expand
Medicaid coverage to new recipients.

From March 13 - 18, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,000 registered voters with a
margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points. The survey includes 353 Republicans with a margin
of error of +/- 5.2 percent. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public
opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Virginia
and the nation as a public service and for research.

For more information or RSS feed, visit http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling, call
(203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter.

1. (If Registered Republican) If the Republican primary for Governor were being held today, and the candidates were Adam Putnam and Rick Scott for whom would you vote?

TREND: In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in Florida today; are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied or very dissatisfied? (*combined High also 63% Sep 2004)

22. In the last three years, Charlie Crist has changed his party affiliation from Republican to Independent to Democrat. Some people say this is a positive thing because it shows he is a pragmatist who can change with the times and issues. Other people say it is a negative thing because it shows he has no core beliefs. Which comes closest to your view of Charlie Crist?

27. As you may know Medicaid is a government program that pays for health care for low-income people and others with certain disabilities. Do you think that increasing the number of people eligible for Medicaid coverage in Florida is a good idea or a bad idea?